My first yoga class!

I guess I’m just all about new (scary) things recently! Anyone who feels self conscious about their bodies will tell you that one of the most intimidating things you can do is attend a fitness class.

I decided to take the rest of the week off from my office job after the 4th of July so I had some free time to fill, and for some reason the desire to try something new. So I googled a local cafe/yoga studio that I’ve driven past at least a dozen times to see what they offer. As I mentioned in my Aaptiv review, my body just doesn’t move the way it’s supposed to for yoga, but there’s this class called “chair yoga” where you have support and modified movements for the less flexible! When I saw that this studio had one of these classes available Thursday morning I signed up before I could think too much about it. I also made sure to tell a few people so that I couldn’t back out of it at the last minute.

Thursday morning rolled around and I was ready for my first real yoga class experience. When I pulled up, a car parked next to me and I immediately panicked because she looked super athletic and my initial reaction was to worry about being judged. Instead of letting that fear get to my head I shook it off and went inside. The cafe is super cute with signs, plants, and items for sale (essential oils, jewelry, etc.) and the yoga studio is in the next room. I was the first one there because I’m chronically early everywhere, but that also means I got to take a picture without being a creep.

It’s a small class and the room is dark and cozy. The instructor was super nice and not intimidating which was fabulous for me. I was very comfortable with her. As people started trickling in I realized that there was nothing to fear from this class. The regular group consisted of four older women of varying sizes. They were all welcoming and I didn’t feel like I stuck out at all.

The class itself was interesting. I don’t have much experience with yoga so I didn’t know what to expect; there was a lot of breathing exercises and stretching, but it was still a good workout (especially the core movements). I was really pleased with the whole experience, and while this specific class won’t fit into my schedule very often since it’s only available weekday mornings, I feel more confident about attending other fitness classes. I’m counting that as a win. 🙂